Bernat-Ponce Saúl, Pérez Santa Rita Jose Vicente, Cordero Carlos, Baixeras Joaquín
Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 3;20(9):e0329104. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329104. eCollection 2025.
The genitalia of Lepidoptera are complex structures that evolve rapidly and divergently. The endophallus of many lepidopterans is ornamented with elaborate sclerotized structures known as cornuti. In some species, the cornuti are deciduous and remain within the female genital tract after copulation; the function of these structures is virtually unknown. These structures are a peculiar potential type of secondary "socially transferred material" (the primary materials are spermatozoids, i.e., genetic material), because they probably influence the physiology and behaviour of receivers (i.e., females) but are not molecules that function as allohormones. Such influence could be achieved by acting as mating plugs or via mechanical stimulation of females. The most intriguing and bizarre deciduous cornuti are the so-called caltrop cornuti, star-shaped structures, composed of several rays radiating from a central mass. Despite the presence of caltrop cornuti in at least 400 species, there are no studies of their microscopic structure and mechanism of dislodgement and transference to the female. In this study, we describe in detail the general and microscopic structure of the caltrop cornuti and associated structures of the prominent moth Peridea anceps (Notodontidae). We provide quantitative data of the cornuti and, for the first time, we explain the processes of detachment and transference to the female genital tract; we also describe their distribution inside the female genitalia. We discuss the possibility that one of the functions of deciduous caltrop cornuti is protection against sperm competition, as well as their potential influence on other aspects of the behaviour and physiology of females via mechanical stimulation.
鳞翅目昆虫的生殖器是复杂的结构，其进化迅速且具有多样性。许多鳞翅目昆虫的内阳茎上装饰着被称为角状器的精细硬化结构。在一些物种中，角状器是可脱落的，交配后会留在雌虫生殖道内；这些结构的功能几乎未知。这些结构是一种特殊的潜在次生“社会传递物质”（主要物质是精子，即遗传物质），因为它们可能会影响接收者（即雌虫）的生理和行为，但并非作为同种激素起作用的分子。这种影响可以通过充当交配栓或对雌虫进行机械刺激来实现。最有趣且奇特的可脱落角状器是所谓的菱角状角状器，呈星形结构，由从中心团块辐射出的几条射线组成。尽管至少有400个物种存在菱角状角状器，但尚无关于其微观结构、脱落及转移至雌虫体内机制的研究。在本研究中，我们详细描述了显著蛾类Peridea anceps（舟蛾科）的菱角状角状器及其相关结构的总体和微观结构。我们提供了角状器的定量数据，并首次解释了其脱离及转移至雌虫生殖道的过程；我们还描述了它们在雌虫生殖器内的分布情况。我们讨论了可脱落菱角状角状器的功能之一是防止精子竞争的可能性，以及它们通过机械刺激对雌虫行为和生理其他方面的潜在影响。
